1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate generally to personal mobility vehicles and, more specifically, to a tricycle with a spark generating device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Three-wheeled vehicles, commonly known as tricycles comprise a front wheel and a pair of spaced rear wheels, and many types and styles of tricycles have been developed for use by both children and adults. Riding on tricycles is a popular recreational activity. This is especially true for younger age children who do not yet have the physical coordination and skill necessary to ride more advanced recreational vehicles such as two-wheeled bicycles, skateboards, roller skates, or two-wheeled scooters. There have been many tricycles devised over the years. Most of these tricycles perform the normal function of moving when pedaled by the user and turning on a radius determined by manipulation of the handlebars controlling the front wheel. There have been very few tricycle designs which add accessories to add excitement and desirability to the standard design.
Spark generation is one feature that has been added to several recreational apparatus and activities. Many of these apparatus and activities have integrated spark generators into their designs and configurations. Skateboards, roller skates, and roller blades have been designed to allow the user to generate sparks while performing the corresponding activity. Some of these prior art arrangements attach a spark generating material in a fixed manner to the apparatus which generates sparks upon contacting the riding surface. This requires that the entire apparatus be adjusted or displaced in order to generate sparks. For example, with roller blades and skateboards, the user would have to lift the front wheels off of the contact surface in order to cause the spark material to engage the riding surface to generate sparks.
With a tricycle, it would be very difficult and undesirable to lift any portion of the tricycle off of the riding surface in order to generate sparks. Other prior art arrangements, for example those on skateboards or scooters, require the user to adjust or act upon a spark generating portion with the user's foot or feet. However with a tricycle, it is desirable to allow the user to generate sparks without the use of the user's foot or feet, as typically tricycle configurations require users to act upon the pedals with both feet to propel the tricycle forward. Therefore, the current arrangements in the prior art for generating sparks on recreational items are unsuitable for use with tricycles.